Children from the Birmingham Settlement Out of School Club in Newtown, Birmingham are being given the opportunity to make music through the expansion of national music making inititiative Come and Play, providing children with a culturally diverse creative experience.
Run by the national charity 4Children, with support from Youth Music, the programme is aimed at children aged 4-14, especially those living in disadvantaged areas, who have had little access to music making opportunities. Through creative and informal workshops, led by experienced musicians, children learn about music styles, instruments and cultures of music, whilst developing essential life skills.
Birmingham Settlement has been open to the residents of Newtown for over 100 years providing support services to the community. The out of school club provides a valuable resource for local parents giving them a safe and creative environment for their children.
Supported by the Birmingham Playcare Network, this is the second year that the innovative Come and Play programme has been run at the club. Lead Playworker, Joy Holness said, “Come and Play is a brilliant project, it has opened up a whole new world to the children. Through working with the musicians, the children have learnt that making music can be fun and exciting as they enjoy making sounds with instruments, whilst learning about all about beats and rhythm. The children have so much fun they do not want the sessions to end”.
Eight year old, Dequarn said,” I like it when we make up our own beats. I really enjoy playing the drums and making lots of noise!”
Peter Garden, Head of Programmes at 4Children, said “The Come and Play initiative provides a great chance for children to explore their creativity and engage with fun music making outside of the school curriculum. Come and Play is now in its second year and we are really pleased that it has been continued in Birmingham, reaching even more children!”
For further information contact the Media Team at 4Children on 020 7512 2112.
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